Hand-in-Hand Combat
by I Can Craft-It
Summary: Tamora decides it's time to take her and Felix's relationship up a notch, but there's a few things the little handyman needs to learn before becoming an honorary member of the 'Hero's Duty' family.
1. General Requirements

((I like to try come up with the cheesiest titles for my fics ;) Tamora decides it's time to take her and Felix's relationship up a notch, but there's a few things the little handyman needs to learn before becoming an honorary member of the 'Hero's Duty' family))

 **Part 1**

* * *

The crowd roared as the 'Sugar Rush' racers crossed the finish line, Vanellope having come in 1st place just by fraction of an inch. Her closest friends, Ralph, Felix and Sergeant Calhoun all applauded her victory from the premium seats.

"Yeah! Way to go kid!" Ralph clapped enthusiastically before turning to go meet Vanellope on the track for a congratulatory fist bump. The couple, however, stayed behind.

"Wow! She is quite a talent!" Felix beamed, leaning against the front railing of their section.

"Yup," Calhoun agreed, placing her hands atop the railing beside the little handyman. "That kid really kills it out there."

The two of them stood next to each other in a comfortable silence, watching the celebrations below.

"Fix-It, I've been doing some thinking," Tamora broke the silence, shifting nervously as she felt Felix's eyes focus on her.

"About what, Tammy?" he inquired.

"About us. Our relationship. How it's been going," the sergeant said as nonchalantly as she could.

"O-oh?" the handyman squeaked, fearing the worst.

A sly smile alighted the woman's features as she looked down to him. "Things have been going pretty damn well."

Felix let out a sigh of relief, placing his hand over his heart. "Oh Tammy Jean, why do you delight in teasing me like that?"

"You make it too easy, Short-stack," she knelt down beside him. "But there is something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure, Darlin.' Anything," Felix took her hands in his.

"As I've already said, things have been pretty good, and I think it's about time I let you visit me in my game. But there's some… requirements that need to be met."

"Like what?"

"You'll need to learn self defense and how to handle a gun," Tamora pressed her lips together; hoping Felix would take the stipulations well.

"Oh! Well sure!" the handyman said as cheerfully as ever.

"You—you'd be willing to do that?" Tamora said incredulously.

"Of course! We've been together for a couple months now and this is a big step! If doing those things will help ease your mind when I'm with you in 'Hero's Duty,' then I'll do it."

"You're too good, Fix-It," Tamora wrapped the 8-bit in a tender embrace.

"Just doing what I can, ma'am," Felix tipped his hat with grin. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers…

"Ack! Come on, guys!"

The couple broke their connection with a start.

"The presidential seats are no place for you to do your mushy, _lovey-dovey_ stuff!" Vanellope chided. "Besides, we all have a date at Tappers! Root beer floats are on Ralph!"

"I didn't agree to that!" the larger man retorted, causing his colleague to chuckle.

"Don't worry Ralph, they're on me today," Felix said, taking his lady by the hand. "There's a lot of cause for celebration!"


	2. Like a Fix-It

**Part 2**

* * *

"And this—" Tamora began as she typed a sequence of numbers on a panel beside a large, metal door. "—is the shooting range."

The door slid open, revealing a sizable room with a single range and eight firing lanes. This was the last stop on a tour of the grand ship the Space Marines called home.

Felix had only seen a small portion of 'Hero's Duty' when he had first came in looking for Ralph, and the only other time he had visited was after the unfortunate events that unfolded in Dance Dance Revolution at the start of their relationship. The little 8-bit was glad that this time, he was here under better circumstances. Stepping into the room, he looked around, his right hand impulsively laying itself over the head of his golden hammer, thumb rubbing against the bell.

"Nervous, Short-stack?" Tamora walked up beside him.

"Oh, maybe a little," Felix answered truthfully. "But a small case of the jitters isn't going to deter me."

The sergeant smiled and affectionately slapped the bill of his cap over his face. The handyman emitted a soft chuckle and pulled his cap back up, meeting Tamora's gaze as she knelt down in front of him.

"Good man," she said. "But don't worry too much, Fix-It. You most likely won't shoot today." Tamora stood up and gestured for him to follow. They both approached a table off to the side.

"Decided to start off with something a little more your speed. Have a seat," the sergeant patted the back of one of the chairs and Felix hopped into it.

He watched curiously as Tamora pulled out a small pistol and began to take it apart, laying the carefully disassembled pieces out in front in from of him in the order they were removed.

"Alright short stuff," Tamora said as she placed the final part on the table. "Put it back together."

The 8-bit handyman shifted his gaze from the parts laid before him and up to his lady. Giving her a playful smile, he took the golden hammer from his belt and twirled it in his hand.

"Smart Aleck," Tamora sighed and swiped the hammer from his hand with a small smile of her own. " _Without_ this."

She had never handled the magical tool before and was surprised, and a bit impressed by the weight of it. Confident, she flicked her wrist and flipped the hammer in the air, catching it again by the handle before placing it in a holster on her hip.

"Just like a Fix-It," Felix praised her.

A soft blush crept onto the sergeant's features at the implications of his words. Pure _flattery_ —she convinced herself. That's all it was.

"Time's a wasting," Tamora insisted, her index finger tapping the tabletop.

She watched Felix as he inspected all the parts then began to put them all back in their proper place. All he had to do was watch her take it apart once, and in a matter of a couple minutes; Felix had successfully pieced the pistol back together.

The handyman took a moment too look at his handiwork, holding the gun timidly in his grasp before gingerly placing the gun back on the table's surface.

"Pretty good, soldier," Calhoun picked up and inspected the gun before dismantling it a second time. "Again."

She had him put the gun back together many more times, and each time when he was done, he visibly became less and less daunted about the fact that he was working with a gun. He began to know it inside and out.

If Felix was being honest, he was starting to find the exercise relaxing. Fixing things with his hammer was well and good, but there was something about piecing something together with his own two hands he found refreshing. Like working on a puzzle.

Finishing for the sixth time, Felix immediately placed the gun on the table and looked up to Calhoun expectantly. She let out a soft chuckle as she took the pistol again, trading it in for the golden hammer in her holster.

"Just like a Fix-It," she said.


	3. The One-Two Punch

**Part 3**

* * *

"How's the fit?" Tamora asked, watching as the handyman beside her squeezed on a pair of her boxing gloves.

"Just a little tight, but I think they'll do," Felix had tried putting on a pair belonging to one of her soldiers, but Tamora's gloves were the only ones to come close to fitting.

The two of them sat on a bench in the small gym within Hero's Duty. Felix had been jumping over to her game regularly to exercise with her here, and now Tamora figured he was ready to start on some basic self-defense. Usually there would be other soldiers in the facility doing their own routines or sparring with each other, but Tamora made sure that she and Felix had the gym all to themselves this evening.

"Alright then, let's get to it," Tamora stood up, and without skipping a beat, removed her white t-shirt to just her black sports bra. She'd done this before; dozens of times, but it always caught the little handyman off-guard. "Stop gawkin' and get walkin', Fix-it, let's go!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Felix snapped himself out of his stupor and quickly hopped up to follow his gal into the boxing ring in the center of the room.

"Okay, Short Stack, let me see what I've got to work with," Tamora began, sliding on a pair of padded, square shaped gloves. She held out the one on her right hand towards the little handyman and gestured to the circle in the middle with the other. "Hit it right there," she ordered.

Felix took in a calming breath, swallowed, and then punched. He looked up at her and could immediately tell she was trying not to laugh.

"I think you can do a little better than that, Fix-It," she kneeled down in front of him, a grin on her face. "You know there's three inches of padding on these, and you aren't going to hurt me, right?"

"I'm well aware, Tammy Jean," Felix pouted, his face going red from embarrassment. "It's just that his kind of stuff isn't in my programming, is all. I'm trying."

"Oh, come here," Tamora pulled her boyfriend in for a hug in an attempt to lift his mood again. "I know you're trying, and I'm sorry for laughing. But it was a really cute punch." She patted the top of Felix's head with her glove pads and he giggled a bit.

"Don't worry about trying to impress me, or being good right off the bat, Fix-It. You're just starting, and you're here to get better, okay?"

"Okay."

"But that being said, I know you were holding back on that last punch. _Really_ let that circle on the glove pad have it, alright?"

"Alright," Felix replied hesitantly before throwing another punch.

"Come on, Fix-It, harder!" she ordered. He punched again.

"You know what helps me? I think of stuff that really grinds my gears." Tamora said earnestly. "What get's under little Fix-It Felix's skin, huh?" she tapped his shoulder with the glove pad. When he didn't immediately answer, she began to guess.

"Wreck-It accidentally breaks something and you have to fix it for the hundredth time? Gene's spouting off again on some nonsense you couldn't care less about? A Nicelander leaves the bath running and the whole floor gets flooded?"

Felix let his arms flop to his sides and chuckled. "Tammy, those are just…they're so petty!"

"Hey, you know what I did today?" Tamora sat on her knees in front of him again, and Felix was afraid to hear what was coming next. "There was this impatient little brat playing my game, and slamming the start button during my opening cut-scene. Like he was playing the Mod-damned Whack-a-Mole. And you know what? I made sure that little twerp didn't last five seconds into the game."

"Tammy," Felix stifled a laugh with his glove. "That's horrible!"

"Yep. Can't get any more petty than me, Fix-It." Tamora smirked, standing up. "Now come on; the Nicelanders never get on your nerves? Ralph's screw-ups don't push your buttons? That toilet still need some snaking?" she chided. "Come on! Hit me!" Tamora held out the boxing pad one more time, and Felix seemed to consider her words.

He supposed the Nicelanders could be a little overbearing sometimes, _especially_ Gene. And while he knew Ralph meant well, the wrecker often left a trail of messes in his wake…And the few times that a floor of the Niceland apartments had actually flooded were pretty unpleasant…

After collecting his thoughts and finding one to focus on, Felix pulled back his fist and threw a solid punch right in the center of Tamora's palm.

"Now _that_ was a punch!" the sergeant exclaimed. "Who was behind that one? Gene?"

"It was Gene," Felix nodded.

"It felt like a Gene."


	4. Idle Animation

**Part 4**

* * *

Ralph slowly opened his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching him as he lay on the soft, dewy grass by the river. Tilting his head upwards he saw his coworker and friend, Fix-It Felix.

"Hey brother, mind if I join you?" the handyman asked.

"Sure," Ralph said simply, patting the ground beside him. "Knock yourself out."

Felix smiled and helped himself to the patch of grass to the wreckers left, groaning as he knelt and made his slow descent into a lying position. This caught Ralph's attention, and he turned his head towards his colleague, brows knit together with worry.

The handyman closed his eyes and let out a sigh that made it sound like he hadn't had a good lie down in ages. Between work, dealing with the Nicelanders, and now going over to Hero's Duty at night after the Sugar Rush Roster Races, the poor little guy didn't have much time to rest.

And as his friend, it was concerning to Ralph.

After a few beats of silence, Felix reopened his eyes, and Ralph quickly shifted his gaze upward, pretending that he'd been looking at the stars the whole time.

"Something on your mind, Ralph?"

The wrecker inwardly scolded himself. _Way to go, Ralph! He knows you were staring!_ He opened his mouth, and then closed it, patting his chest lightly with his hand, trying to put the words together in his head.

"I dunno…I guess I, uh—I guess I'm just a little worried," Ralph answered.

"About what?"

"Uh, well this might sound kind of dumb, but…I'm worried about _you_ ," Ralph began. He could feel Felix's eyes on him. "All this Hero's Duty stuff…Are you sure you aren't, y'know—spreading yourself a bit too thin?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Seriously? C'mon, when you were laying down just now you sounded more like a Fix-It Felix senior than a junior." Ralph propped himself up on his elbow when the handyman chuckled. "I'm being serious, Felix."

"I'm sorry Ralph," the fixer did his best to stifle his laughter. "I'm not laughing at you. I guess I just didn't realize what I sounded like." Felix sat up with a groan, followed by a sheepish grin. "Oh, there I go again. Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for it, Felix. It's just…are you sure all this stuff you're doing in Hero's Duty is good for you?"

The little handyman turned to face Ralph, looking a bit like a deer in headlights

"W—well, yeah, Ralph. That's the whole point," He began to explain. "Everything I'm doing is for my safety."

Ralph considered this for a moment.

"Ok, fair enough. But…just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

"I'll try," Felix smiled, giving the wrecker a reassuring pat on the arm. "I know you're looking out for me, Ralph; I appreciate that. But I'll be fine, you'll see."

"Yeah," Ralph replied glumly. He lay back down on the grass, thinking to himself a moment.

"And, y'know," he began again. "If you ever want to—Agh, forget it, it's stupid."

"I'm sure it isn't. What is it?"

"I was going to say, if you ever wanted to…if you're ever tired and just need to take it easy, I'm usually here around this time, and there's always plenty of room," Ralph gestured to the open space around them with his large hands. "So yeah. You're always welcome."

"Thank you, Ralph," Felix was touched, and was again amazed by how much had changed in just a few short months after the whole "Turbo" incident. The two of them barely ever talked to each other before then, and now Ralph was one of the closest friends the fixer's ever had. He lay back down on the soft grass, letting his head rest on his hands as they folded behind him. "This is nice."

A few peaceful minutes passed, and Ralph's lips turned upward into a soft smile when he heard the soft snoring of his friend beside him.

"G'night, buddy," he snickered.


	5. FPS Felix

**Part 5**

* * *

"Ta-da!" Felix reappeared from the storeroom that branched from the shooting range within 'Hero's Duty,' pushing a platform he'd built out of some scrap metal.

Tamora chuckled as she watched the little handyman move the platform over to a booth, lock it in place and climb on top of it.

"There, perfect height!" he grinned, drumming the shelf in front of him with his fingers. He heard shifting behind him and a chill was sent up his spine when the cold metal of Tamora's breastplate brushed up against his back.

"Going above and beyond the call of duty," she said close to his ear. "Good work, soldier."

Felix blushed, "Oh, it was nothing," he turned around with a modest shrug. "Just trying to give you one less thing to worry about."

"I appreciate that, Fix-It." Tamora leaned down for a kiss, resting her hands on the side railings of the platform he'd built. "Ready to fire your first weapon?"

"As I'll ever be!" Felix chimed. "You know, I was really nervous the first time I stepped into this room, but now—" he chuckled sheepishly. "I'm actually kind of excited. I've never done anything like this before."

"Glad to hear it," Tamora smirked. It seemed all of the training the little 8-bit went through paid off. He was ready, and the sergeant couldn't be prouder. A part of her was tempted to snatch that handyman right off the floor, carry him into the back storeroom and—

"Earth to Tammy," Felix waved a hand in front of her face and the sergeant blinked away the embarrassing fantasy. She cleared her throat and stood upright, pulling a pistol from the holster on her hip.

"Show me what you got," she said as gave the gun over to Fix-It. "And put on those muffs."

Felix complied, setting the pistol down briefly to slide on the protective gear. Taking the gun back in his hands, he corrected his stance and aimed the barrel to the target roughly seven yards in front of him.

"When you're ready, Fix-it," Tamora spoke softly.

Felix breathed in and exhaled slowly, gently squeezing the trigger…and when the firearm went off, the poor little handyman practically leapt three feet in the air.

"Jiminy Christmas," he stammered, setting down the gun and sliding the muffs off his ears. He turned around, wide-eyed and mouth agape. "That is… slightly terrifying."

Tamora laughed, harder than she had in a long time. The look on her boyfriends face was absolutely priceless as he stared up at her, but before long, he was laughing too.

"Good grief," he chuckled, placing a hand over his heart. "Do you ever get used to that?"

"Not really, but it gets better with experience," Tamora replied.

"I mean—" Felix turned back around and squinted at the lone target in the range. "Did I even hit it?"

"Nope," with a grin, the sergeant pointed to the far wall of the shooting range. "But you really showed the back left corner who's boss."

"Well shoot," the handyman smiled and shook his head. "I suppose I'll have to give it another try then."

"Fire when ready, Fix-It." Tamora replied.

Determined to impress his lady, Felix placed the muffs back over his ears and picked up the handgun. At least this time he knew what to expect. Focusing on the target in front of him, he readied the shot and squeezed the trigger again. The pistol fired and he flinched, closing his eyes for a moment… Hesitantly reopening them, he noticed a small hole just at the corner of the paper target.

"Nice work," he heard Tammy say behind him, making his little 8-bit heart soar. It made him want to try again, and again, and again…

* * *

Eventually, the two of them decided that they should call it a night, and Tamora complimented her little handyman as they put away their equipment in the storeroom.

"You'll be a pretty decent shot once you get a little more practice. You're a quick learner, Fix-It," she said.

"Why thank you, Tammy," Felix replied, the honey glows in his cheeks. He carefully placed his pistol in its designated spot and stepped back to look at the wall of the impressive hardware that belonged to 'Hero's Duty.'

Tamora stepped up beside him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She looked down at him coolly.

"So," she began, "If it were up to you to pick which gun you'd handle next, which one would you choose?"

"Oh, that's a toughie," Felix rubbed his chin as he looked over the wall of munitions once again. His eyes landed on one gun in particular and he chuckled. "That little honey right over there."

Tamora followed the handyman's line of sight to the far end of the wall and snickered, for there on display was a gun that was easily twice the fixer's size. She shook her head with a grin. Even a man like Fix-It Felix Jr. couldn't escape the allure of big and shiny gadgets.

"In your dreams, Shortstack. I think you of all people would know that bigger isn't always better," she joked, slapping the bill of his cap down over his eyes playfully.

"Do I know that?" he chuckled, righting his cap.

"Well," Tamora smirked, bending downwards and grabbing Felix by the collar of his shirt, pulling him close for a sultry kiss. "At least I do."


	6. No Holding Back

**Part 6**

* * *

Tamora was impressed by Felix's progress in the past couple months. That Fix-It was a fast learner, and he always awaited the sergeant's instruction with pep in his step and a grin on his face. If only some of her soldiers could be so earnest.

The handyman had learned proper self-defense, the bare minimum required for him to be in 'Hero's Duty' on a more regular basis, and it surprised Tamora when he wanted to put his newfound skills to the ultimate test.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Fix-It?" she asked, sitting on the ringside bench with the little 8-bit beside her. "You've got nothing you need to prove to me or any of my men."

"I know, Tammy Jean," Felix smiled as he put on his boxing gloves. "And yes, I'm sure."

"Alright," she replied hesitantly. "But if it's too much, call it off." While her boyfriend's guts fascinated Tamora, she was also nervous. Sparring one on one with her was one thing, sparring with one of her mercenaries, however, was a whole different ballpark.

The sergeant crossed her arms over her chest as Felix stepped into the ring alongside Spears, one of her top men. Mods above, this was a horrible idea…

"Aww, look at you," Kohut stepped beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're worried."

The sergeant sighed. "I'm not in the mood for your "witty" remarks," she grumbled as she shrugged the corporal's hand off her shoulder. "What the heck is he thinking, Spears is nearly three times his size."

"Doesn't he throw down with a guy nearly three times his size for a living?"

"No, he dodges debris and fixes windows!" she hissed. "Wreck-It never gets near him, this is _completely_ different, Kohut." Tamora snapped her finger at Spears and signaled for the soldier to come over.

"Yes, Ma'am?" Spears leaned on the ropes.

"Go _easy_ on him, Spears," Tamora urged. "Hurt him, and you'll have bathroom duty for as long as this game stays plugged into its socket. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am…" the marine gulped before backing away to meet Felix in the middle of the platform.

"Begin!" Kohut shouted when the sparrers were ready.

Immediately, Felix was on the defensive, dodging Spears kicks and downward punches. The only possible way the handyman could win against someone with such a height and strength advantage was to find the opportune moment to strike, or tire him out.

The marine performed a low, sweeping kick and Felix avoided it by hopping into the air, giving himself the perfect opportunity to land a kick to the soldier's head. Spears saw this and reacted reflexively, his elbow connecting with the fixer's middle has he turned around. Felix flew and landed in a small heap on the opposite side of the ring.

The few men watching the match winced as the fixer writhed and gasped to regain his breath, fighting the sudden urge to throw up.

"Hey!" Tamora bellowed, boiling with anger. "I said _go easy_ , Soldier!"

"I-I'm sorry, Sarge!" Spears pleaded. "He's just so…tiny and delicate."

Tamora was about to hop into the ring to aid her fallen handyman until he raised a hand to stop her.

"No, no Tammy, I'm fine," he said, sitting up with a huff. "Let's go again… Don't hold back."

Felix looked up to Spears, who held out a helping hand, utterly and completely impressed at his opponents' gumption.

Tamora ran a hand through her hair and stepped down, lost for words.

"Ho-ly shit," Kohut laughed. "Move over TJ, cause that little guy just won _my_ heart. Mad respect. Begin!"

Immediately, the men who often laughed or sneered whenever they saw Fix-It Felix so much as walk by them in 'Hero's Duty', were now cheering him on. And Calhoun surmised that this was exactly that Felix wanted out of this whole sparring match in the first place. He was no joke, and he had proved it.

The sergeant found herself getting swept up in the moment and shouted encouragements to the handyman along with her men.

"Take him out, Fix-It!" she yelled.

Spears made for a kick to the fixer's head, but Felix skillfully ducked under it and rolled to the side. Jumping upwards with a trademark ' _Boing_ ', he then grabbed onto one of the marine's outstretched arms and used it to swing himself upwards, landing a solid kick to the soldier's jaw. With the blow, Spears lost his balance and fell backwards, causing those watching to whoop and holler in delight.

Felix smiled, and stepped over to the fallen soldier, arm outstretched. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," Spears chuckled and shook Felix's hand as he stood up. "You're OK, Fix-It."

Most of the men cleared out within a few minutes, clapping the handyman's back and giving him praise before moving on to their duties. Now Felix and Calhoun were alone, sitting together on the ringside bench. Tamora silently watched the fixer remove his boxing gloves and put on his shoes. He was beaming, and so was she.

"Proud of you," she said, wrapping an arm around her boyfriend's shoulder and pulling him to her side. He giggled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…At first I thought you'd gone crazy, but you really held your own in that ring. The men seemed impressed."

"You think so?" Felix held her hand and rubbed its palm with his thumb.

"Mhm. You're practically a member of the 'Hero's Duty' corps now, I'd figure." she planted a kiss on the top of his head and reveled in the smile her words gave him. "You deserve a good night's sleep."

"Boy, the first thing I'm going to do when I get home is pass out in the shower," Felix chuckled, picking up his tool belt and fastening it. "I'll walk you to your quarters and let myself out—"

"Actually, Fix-It," two of her fingers latched onto his belt buckle and pulled him tantalizingly close, their faces inches apart. "I was thinking you could stay the night."

"R-really?" Felix inquired. Of course, they'd slept together before, many times. But it was always either at his place or a hotel in Extreme EZ Livin' 2.

"Well, you've met the general requirements. You can fend for yourself, know all the safety measures, drills," Tamora explained. "You're ready… and I think I am too."

Felix smiled softly, cupping the sergeant's face in his hands and gazing into her eyes.

"Proud of you," he said with a kiss.


	7. Like Family

Part 7

* * *

Felix hopped up and kissed his lady on the cheek.

"Love you! I'll see you tomorrow," he said with a wave. As much as he'd love to stay with Tamora in 'Hero's Duty,' he had some things to do around Niceland.

"Until then, Fix-It," the sergeant casually saluted and turned on her heels to return to her game.

Felix was just about to enter his own plug when he heard distant voices calling to him. Turning, he found three of Tamora's marines approaching.

"Hey!" Spears waved, smiling. It occurred to Felix that the men were a bit under the influence. "You're the guy who kicked my ass the other day!"

"I do believe that it was your face that I kicked," the fixer quipped, evoking some laughs from the trio. "Anything I can do for you fellas?"

"Yeah!" the soldier to Spears' left interjected. "A lot of us are at 'Tappers' right now. Come join the fun!"

"Yeah, all beers are on us," Spears clapped Felix on the back.

"Oh, I'd love to, really," the handyman shrugged himself from the marine's enthusiastic grip. "But I've already got plans," he jerked a thumb towards his game's port.

"Damn!" the other marine said. "How 'bout Friday? You, all the guys, and 5 cases of beer!"

"Oh, I don't know…" Felix hesitated. Having some drinks with Tamora's men was an intimidating thought. He had no idea they would take such a liking to him so quickly…or at all for that matter.

"Come on, Shortstop! Its about time we got know the guy whose been dating our Sergeant," Spears spoke sincerely.

"Well…I suppose you're right," Felix conceded. "Friday it is."

* * *

Ralph tilted his head upwards when he heard the now familiar noise of his colleague approaching him though the grass.

"You're late," the wrecker propped himself up on his elbow.

"Sorry, Ralph," Felix plopped down on the dewy lawn. "Got caught in a conversation on my way here."

"I'm just messing with you," the wrecker chuckled. "How's Calhoun?"

"She's doin' great," the handyman smiled. "How was Bad-Anon?"

"It was good. Did you know that Zombie can bake?"

"You're kidding."

"The guy made these killer lemon-poppy seed muffins for tonight's snack."

"Pun intended?" Felix quipped.

"Oh, harr harr," Ralph smiled, rolling his eyes. A few moments of silence passed as both men lay on the grass, gazing up at the sky.

"So," the wrecker began. "I couldn't help but notice that you didn't come home from 'Hero's Duty' yesterday night."

"Oh," Felix giggled sheepishly. "Yeah." Even through the dark of the night, Ralph could see the blush creeping onto his friends' features.

"So… I take it things are going pretty well?"

"She's starting to feel more at ease, definitely," Felix said. "It's been a long, hard road for sure; lots of little steps— but… I don't think I'd have it any other way." He sighed deeply, his heart a flutter. "I love her with every pixel of my being, Ralph. I'd do anything for her…to see her smile—"

"D'awww, then why don't you just marry her, ya big dummy!"

"Vanellope!" Felix shot up like a rocket. "H-how much of that conversation did you hear?"

"I dunno, all of it maybe?" the raven-haired girl grinned, stepping out from behind a tree. "What is this anyway, a girly sleepover where we talk about our crushes? Cause Ralph's got a crush on Zangief!"

"Hey!" Ralph crossed his arms, his face red. "Isn't it a little past your bedtime, kid?"

"Pfft, Presidents don't _have_ bedtimes!" Vanellope's wry smile turned into a slight frown. "…I couldn't sleep and I was bored, OK?"

The wrecker's annoyance dissolved. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" he asked her.

Felix looked to Ralph, then back to Vanellope, concerned. He had no idea the girl had been having trouble.

Vanellope folded her arms and lightly kicked the ground she stared so intently at.

"Yeah," she replied, voice cracking. "Dumb King Candy…he just won't go away."

"Oh, princess," Felix said solemnly.

"C'mere, kid," Ralph held out his arm, and the girl came over to tuck herself underneath it, leaning on his side. The wrecker gently pat her on the shoulder for comfort. "Turbo—er, King Candy…He's gone, and he's not going to hurt you or anyone else anymore."

"I know," Vanellope nodded. "It was just…scary."

"Yeah," Ralph sighed. "Can't argue with that."

Felix nodded in silent agreement, touched by Ralph's tenderness. For a while the three of them sat there in the grass together, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Is there something wrong with Sarge?" Vanellope's voice broke the silence.

"Huh?" Felix snapped out of his tranquility and looked to the racer.

"If you love her, then why don't you ask her to marry you?" she elaborated.

"Aaahh, well…" the handyman rubbed the back of his neck, unsure if he should disclose Tamora's personal struggles to Vanellope. "It's just a bit early, is all."

"But… you said something like "it's been a hard road," what's that about?"

"Kid, I don't think—" Ralph began.

"It's OK, Ralph," Felix interjected, and motioned for the girl to come over.

Vanellope uncurled herself from Ralph's side and sat in the handyman's lap, her side against his front. Felix wrapped an arm around her as he thought of what to say.

"So, you know how you have nightmares about King Candy?" the girl nodded. "Well—Tammy, she has nightmares too, but they're a bit different…something scary happened to her, and…she lost someone she loved very much. His name was Brad, and _they_ were going to be married."

"Oh," Vanellope replied simply.

"So it's hard for her… to be in a relationship again, after all that happened."

"That's really sad," Vanellope wiped a tear away with the sleeve of her hoodie. "You…you guys aren't going to break up, are you?"

"What? No, Princess," Felix laughed it off, and wiped away another tear from the girl's face. "We're doing just fine. There are good days, and there are bad days, but what's important is that we're there for each other."

"Good, cause I like you two being together," the girl smiled. "I like all of us together."

"Yeah, we're an unlikely bunch friends, that's for sure," Ralph interjected. "But— it's nice, y'know?"

Felix smiled and nodded, hugging Vanellope close.

"Like family," he added.


	8. Little Nightmares

**Part 8**

* * *

Felix wrung his hands as Tamora put on her sleep wear and crawled into bed beside him. The previous night, Felix had divulged Tammy's troubled past to Vanellope, and it had been eating at his conscience all day.

"Hey," Tamora murmured as she reached for her beau's hands, gently pulling them away from each other. "What's got your fingers trying to tie themselves in a knot, hm?"

Felix whimpered, inwardly cursing his transparency. Those nervous ticks of his were always giving him away.

"Last night," he began with a sigh. "When I was visiting with Ralph, Vanellope dropped by, saying she couldn't sleep—"

"—Because she keeps having nightmares," Tamora finished.

The handyman nodded, wide-eyed. "You knew?"

"She told me everything earlier today," Tamora smiled. "Pulled me aside while you and Ralph went to help clean up the karts that wrecked in Frosty Rally."

"I'm sorry, Tammy," Felix felt guilty that she didn't find out from him first. "It wasn't my story to tell."

"I know you were just trying to help her understand, and to not feel alone. We had a good girl-to-girl," the sergeant reached over and dug into the top drawer of her nightstand. "I gave her some advice, and she gave me _this_."

From her nightstand, Tamora pulled out a small, handmade doll comprised of bits of candy and candy wrappers.

"Oh my land," Felix was touched. "That is too _sweet._ "

"Don't go getting cavities," Calhoun quipped. She held the doll delicately in her hands for a moment. "She told me it sometimes helps her when she can't sleep, so she's letting me have it for a while in hopes it'll help me too."

"Oh stop, my heart can't take it, is this my punishment?" Felix put a hand to his chest and fell over with a smile, laying his head in Tammy's lap. "Did she really say all that?"

"Every word," she affirmed, kissing the handyman goodnight.

* * *

Tamora opened her eyes, peering nervously into the full-length mirror in front of her. Twisting, she looked at the slim white dress she wore, admiring it.

"You look _beautiful_ , T.J." She turned towards the voice, suddenly in a small hallway in front of a set of double doors. Kohut stood beside her with a warm smile, offering his elbow. "You ready?" he asked. She accepted his arm with a nod, and the doors opened.

Then, standing before her was the priest. Tamora couldn't keep herself from smiling as she took a moment to glance at her newlywed husband. And of course, he smiled back…

The loud crash of glass being broken interrupted them, and with a piercing, mechanical screech, a giant Cy-Bug landed atop the altar. Before Tamora could act, the beast's glowing eyes honed in on its target, and in one swift movement, devoured him whole.

* * *

The sergeant sat upwards with a fearful gasp, throwing off the covers. With her heart racing and breathing labored, the sergeant took a brief look at her surroundings. She was at home, in her bed. It was just another nightmare.

Taking a deep breath in, she turned to Felix's side of the bed. He was staying the night and Tamora wanted nothing more than to hold him close as she rode out the rush of adrenaline. But feeling through the darkness, she realized that he wasn't there.

"Fix-It?" she spoke softly, feeling around in the sheets more vigorously. " _Fix-It!_ "

She shot out of bed and stumbled in the dark in a panicked state, not once noticing the light beaming from under the washroom door.

" _FELIX!_ " she shouted desperately, after tripping and falling over the blankets that now hung off the side of her mattress.

"Tammy?" yellow light flooded the bedroom as a startled Felix opened the washroom door. He was beside her in an instant, helping her to sit upright on the floor, holding her gently. "Tammy, what's wrong?"

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, partially out of relief, but mostly out of embarrassment. For a brief moment, she had truly believed that Felix was gone, forever. She felt like an idiot.

Tamora shook her head, wiping the tears away, and pulled the handyman close.

"Another nightmare?" he asked, returning her embrace. She nodded.

"Was something different this time, sweetheart?" he pulled away, wiping more tears from her face. He hadn't seen her quite this shaken in a while.

Tamora paused a moment, thinking before giving her answer.

"No… Just the same as any other," she said. "I just…when I woke up and you weren't in bed, for a moment I thought—" she stopped herself. "I just panicked."

"I'm sorry I scared you," Felix frowned. "I had only been up for a minute or two before I heard you calling for me."

"It's not your fault."

Felix seemed to ponder something before getting up to walk towards Tamora's bedside table. And when he returned, in his hand was Vanellope's doll.

The sergeant couldn't help but laugh as he offered it to her, and she gently took it from his hand. She had to admit, as unattractive and tattered the thing was, it did make her feel better. Less alone.

And she continued to hold it as she and Felix got up from the floor and returned to bed. And it sat, snug between them as they cuddled and drifted back into a peaceful sleep.


	9. Misfire

**Part 9**

* * *

"So I guess I won't see you until tomorrow," Tamora knelt down in front of Felix as they said their morning goodbyes.

"Yeah," the handyman rubbed the back of his neck and gave his lady an apologetic gaze. "You'll be alright by yourself?" Any other time, he knew Tammy would be fine, but due to the scare the night before, Felix felt he should be there for her.

"I think I'll manage," Tamora smirked and slapped the bill of his cap over his eyes. At least she seemed to be in good spirits. "Don't have too much fun."

"I'll try," Felix smiled as he lifted his cap back into place. "I love you."

"Love you too, Fix-It," they shared a kiss, and Felix turned to return to his game.

As soon as he was no longer visible, Felix let out a sigh and let his shoulders droop. As much as he wanted to tell her what he was _really_ doing this evening, the soldiers of Hero's Duty explicitly told him "Calhoun can't know," because "she'll ruin the fun."

As much as he disagreed with those notions, Felix conceded to their demands… Which made things all the more befuddling when Kohut picked him up and snuck him right back into 'Hero's Duty' once the workday was done.

"Isn't this a little…counterproductive?" Felix whispered as he trailed along behind the corporal.

"Nah, TJ rarely ever visits our barracks," Kohut replied, opening a door with a key code. "Plus, uh…the soldiers have been collectively barred from 'Tapper's' for a couple weeks."

The handyman blanched at that last statement. Agreeing to have drinks with Tamora's men was a _very_ big mistake.

"Oh, you know what? I think I left my oven on at home. I think I'll just—" Felix turned on his heels. As he attempted his escape, another soldier whirled him around and placed a firm hand on his back, pushing him into the barracks.

"Hey, look who's finally showed up!" Kohut announced to the soldiers inside.

A collective cheer filled the room, peppered with various nicknames for the handyman, among them being 'small fry,' 'shortstop' and 'knee high.'

"Hi…" Felix waved meekly. There were quite a few more fellas in here than he'd anticipated, some even doubled up on bunks to make room.

The handyman found it a bit hard to breathe in such a stuffy environment, and took in a shaky breath while pulling at his collar.

"Relax, lil' man," Kohut placed a hand on Felix's shoulder. "The only things that bite in this game are the bugs, isn't that right boys?"

"Yeah!" Spears interjected from one of the top bunks. Holding a beer, he gestured towards a lower bunk across from his. "We had Markowski warm up your seat for ya."

Markowski grumbled, and surrendered his bed.

"Oh, that's—" Felix began to decline, but suddenly found himself pushed into said seat with a beer in hand anyway. "—Okay…"

"So now that you're here," Green began from the bunk behind. "One thing we're dying to know is _how the hell_ did you and Sarge hit it off?"

"Oh, s-she hasn't told you?"

"Sarge telling us about her love life?" the soldier guffawed. "Not a chance!"

"W-well, then I _suppose_ ," Felix looked around at all the eager faces staring back at him and took a sip of his beer. "It all started when my good friend Ralph, decided to game-jump into 'Hero's Duty…'"

The handyman weaved his tale as the soldiers listened intently. He told them how he and Calhoun traveled together into 'Sugar Rush' in search of Ralph. How they got stuck in, and got out of the Quik-sand. And of course, how they kissed when 'Sugar Rush' was saved.

"Oh my land, it was just…the _best_ feeling in the world. It's a lil' embarrassing, but even tiny 8-bit hearts popped up over my head," Felix blushed as the soldiers laughed, adding exponentially to the already pinkish tone his face took whenever he would drink.

"Now _that_ is quite the story," Green pointed to the fixer. "Get this man another beer!"

"Ooh, I shouldn't," Felix pouted before taking a gulp of a fresh bottle Maddox handed him, savoring it. "Y'all, this goes with _everything_ , it's so good."

"Yeah?" Kohut chuckled. "I figured you'd be the type that's never heard of a 'Bud Light' before, let alone drank one."

"Please," Felix waved the corporal's comment away. "My game has hosted _completely_ over the top penthouse parties practically every other weekend for 30 years. I've had a drink or two before."

"Watch out, we got a badass over here," Kohut threw his hands up in surrender.

"Speaking of which," Spears interjected. "We ought to do something a bit more than sitting around like a bunch of high school girls at a sleepover to welcome ol' Fix-It to the corps!"

"Not a chance," Kohut dissuaded the sea of men. "If something happens to the little guy, we are _dead_."

"Now hold up a minute," Felix leaned on his elbow to get a look at Spears, nearly spilling his drink in the process. "What'd you have in mind?"

"We're talking about getting you one of these babies!" Marco revealed his shoulder, on it a large pin-up style tattoo.

"How about we don't do anything _permanent_ that would also make it painfully obvious we snuck him in here and got him plastered?" the corporal attempted to compromise.

After a moment of pause, Felix smiled impishly.

"I've got an idea," he slurred.

* * *

"Uh, you want to fire _that_ one?" Kohut wanted to make sure he heard the fixer clearly.

"Yyyup!" Felix nodded his head vehemently as he stood in front of the single weapon in the armory that was easily twice his size.

"Sorry, lil' dude, but you might not be tall enough to go on that ride," the corporal folded his arms.

"C'mon K., lighten up!" Mac slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Let the man do what he wants on his first day as an honorary soldier of 'Hero's Duty!'"

"Just _look_ at him," Kohut gestured, and the pair watched with pity as the handyman struggled to lift the gun off its display stand. Mac walked over and grabbed hold of the top of the firearm, picking it up, the fixer dangling along with it.

"Got it!" Felix grinned, genuinely believing he'd done the lifting himself. "See, I can handle it! Let's _go_!"

With the enthusiastic help from the other soldiers, Felix was able to get atop his specially made platform and prop the gun up onto his shoulder. Kohut simply sighed as the others around him applauded and chanted for Fix-It to "Shoot!"

Felix squeezed the trigger and with an ear shattering 'BOOM,' was immediately sent flying, colliding into the back wall of the room and sliding motionlessly to the floor.

"Oh shit," Kohut pushed soldiers out of the way and knelt down next to the handyman, placing a finger to his neck.

"Shit, shit!" Maddox whispered intensely from where he stood, guarding the door. "Sarge is coming!"

"You think? Even my _nana_ could've heard that blast from miles away!" Green whispered back.

"Oh god, we've killed him. We're _screwed_!"

"He's not dead!" Kohut boomed, standing up. "Now line up before she gets here. That's an order!"

The soldiers did as commanded, grouping up, effectively hiding Felix's unconscious form. The corporal kicked Felix's stand out of the way, picked up the colossal gun, and threw it into Markowski's arms.

"Why me?" Mark squeaked.

"Because it's believable. Fix-It was _never_ here." Kohut replied, just before Sergeant Calhoun tore into the room.


	10. You Wrecked It

**Part 10**

* * *

Felix groaned as he stirred, feeling much like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks. Cracking his eyes open, he barely recognized his surroundings until a large figure leaned over him.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Ralph spoke loudly in a mocking tone.

"Ugh," the handyman cradled his head and partially hid under the blanket draped over him. "What happened?"

"All I know is a couple guys from 'Hero's Duty' came knocking on my door at 3 o'clock in the morning, carrying your drunken butt home after you passed out… Have a little too much fun?" Ralph oddly enjoyed seeing Felix this way. He supposed it brought him comfort that even Fix-It Felix Jr. wasn't a goody-goody _all_ of the time.

"I may have had a _little_ too much to drink," the handyman admitted sheepishly. "Hit me all at once I guess."

"Do you remember anything?"

"Umm," Felix slowly sat up on the couch. "Last thing I remember is I was chatting with Tammy's men, having a few beers; one of them suggested I get a tattoo…"

Realization struck the fixer, and in a panic, he pulled up his shoulder sleeve, and then haphazardly peeled his white undershirt off of his torso.

"Ralph, please tell me I didn't get a tattoo!"

"Nope, looks like you're clear."

"Oh, thank goodness," Felix sighed, slumping back into the couch cushions. Then an entirely new feeling came rushing in. "…I need to use the toilet."

Moments later, Ralph stood against the wall just outside his bathroom, twiddling his thumbs.

"So uh—I guess that hammer of yours can't fix a hangover?" he asked, and winced when more retching came from beyond the door. "Guess I'll take that as a no…"

Once Felix finally felt well enough to emerge from the restroom, Ralph handed him a tall glass of water.

"Thank you," the handyman said miserably.

"The arcade opens soon," the wrecker frowned. "You gonna be okay?"

Felix nodded sullenly, sipping his water. "I think I got it all out of my system."

"Well, I'll try to go easy, just in case."

"Thanks, brother…"

* * *

Even with Ralph going light on the bricks, the fixer had a hard time keeping things together as player after player tossed him around. There were a few slip-ups here and there, but by some miracle, he made it through until closing time.

"Good job everyone!" Felix feigned his enthusiasm, holding the door for his tenants as they flowed into the apartment building from the roof access. Once the last of them were through, he grumbled, plopping himself down on the concrete.

"Still feeling like a bug on a windshield?" Ralph climbed up and leaned over the lip of the building beside his coworker.

"A bit," the fixer sighed.

"Fix-It?" The It-boys both heard Tamora's voice from a distance, and were both surprised when the sergeant flew to the top of the building on her cruiser.

"Tammy!" Felix sprung up from where he was sitting. "You sure got here quick."

"Hey Wreck-It," Tamora acknowledged Ralph, who saluted back. "Sorry if I interrupted anything, I actually have a favor to ask."

"O-oh—well what is it honeybadger?"

"My men decided to go on a drinking spree last night and made the shooting range look like a _mini tornado_ plowed through it," she said with a huff. "I was hoping you had some free time to come by and repair the damage."

"It's that bad, huh?" Felix gulped, glancing back at Ralph. "Sure, I've got time! Ralph, you don't mind, do you?"

"Nope," a smug grin on the wrecker's lips. "Not at all, I was going to visit Vanellope anyway."

"By the way, you two enjoy yourselves at the Bad-Anon potluck last night?" Tamora asked. Felix turned to Ralph, silently begging his friend to go along with it.

"Oh yeah, had a whale of a time!" Ralph nodded. "I won't keep you with all the details, I'm sure Felix will tell you all about it! See you guys around!" And with that, Ralph dropped down the side of the building and out of sight.

* * *

Luckily for the handyman, most of the time spent traveling from his game to Tamora's was filled with her ranting about how irresponsible her soldiers were. While he was relieved he didn't have to spin some phony yarn about the "potluck," each time Tamora described the destruction her men caused, he felt a pang of guilt, absolutely sure that he had some part in the raucous behavior.

"I'm sorry, Fix-It," Tamora sighed. "Here I am babbling on in circles, and you haven't had the chance to talk about your evening," she leaned close to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they sat in the shuttle that lead to 'Hero's Duty'. "How was your day? You look a little rough around the edges."

"Oh," Felix swallowed. "Well Ralph and I were out pretty late last night," He paused to find some sort of explanation. "Most of the folks at the potluck migrated over to Tapper's and we shared some drinks."

"Yeah? Have a little too much?" Tamora chuckled when her beau looked up at her with guilty eyes. "Hey, at least you're not like my marine's when they've been under the influence."

"Yeah," Felix stammered, almost inaudibly. He followed Tammy out of the train and into 'Hero's Duty.' To his shock, all of Tamora's men were kneeling along the stretch of the main hallway, cleaning and waxing the floors entirely by hand.

"Don't worry about them, Fix-It. It may seem like grueling work, but they love giving my floors a fresh coat of wax, isn't that right boys?"

"Yes ma'am!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

As Tamora rounded a corner to head to the shooting range, Felix turned around and locked eyes with corporal Kohut. The handyman pointed at himself with wide, questioning eyes.

" _Don't tell her_ ," Kohut mouthed back.

"Oh my land…" Felix gaped as he stepped into the range.

"That's one way to put it," Tamora grimaced as she leaned against a table.

As the handyman gazed from the hole in the back wall, and along the scorched gaps in the ceiling, everything from the night before came flooding back. _He_ did this. And Tammy's men had taken the fall for it.

"Think you can fix it?" Tamora asked.

" _Don't tell her,_ " Kohut's grim face flashed in the back of Felix's mind as he continued to stand, dumfounded, in front of the wreckage.

"Fix-It?" Tamora asked again.

"Oh, fix it? Yeah I can fix it, no problems!" Felix smiled tensely and shuffled to a pile of debris and began tapping away with his hammer.

The sergeant came up behind him, worried. "Are you feeling alright?"

"No—I mean yes!" Mods above, he was so awful at this. "I just…I feel bad for your men. Don't you think you're being a little too hard on them?"

"No," Calhoun replied incredulously. "Felix, they wrecked half the shooting range, you're looking right at it! What on Earth would I go easy on them for?"

"Because…" Felix paused his work, unsure of what else to say. He couldn't stand it; he couldn't stand lying to her anymore. "Because it was _me_."

"What?"

"Because it was _me_ ," the handyman blurted, turning around and gesturing emphatically at the destruction. "This—this, _all_ of this was my fault. _I_ wrecked it." Tamora stared at him, wide eyed as he frantically explained.

"There was no potluck…your men invited me to have drinks with them. I got carried away, and—and they helped me get that big gun, and the last thing I remember before I blacked out was pulling the trigger..." Felix took in a shaky breath, and sighed.

Turning around, he fully expected his lady to be angry. Which made it all the more gut wrenching when he saw tears in her eyes.

"Tammy," his frown deepened. "I'm so sorry."

"It was you," she whispered.

"I—y-yes?" Felix replied, confused. "I wrecked the shooting range…"

"No, you _—,_ " the sergeant refrained from saying something in anger she would later regret. "It was _you_ in my nightmare the other night. It was the wedding, but instead of Brad, you were the one to…" she stopped, tears flowing.

"Oh, Tammy," Felix reached out to her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

" _You_ don't get to ask that question!" Tamora spat, rejecting his touch. The anger previously expected now boiling to the surface. " _You_ went behind my back!"

"But —"

"I thought you took being here seriously. Now on top of worrying about you getting chewed up by Cybugs, I have to worry about you hurting _yourself?_ " Tamora wiped her face, eliminating the evidence of her vulnerability. "Just…clean this place up and _get out_. You don't belong here."

"Tammy, wait," Felix pleaded as she walked away, the door gently sliding closed behind her.

* * *

Once Felix was done repairing the range, he stepped into the hallway. Looking to his right down the corridor, the soldiers visible from the adjunct hallway stopped scrubbing the floors and locked eyes. And when he approached, Kohut shook his head.

"You told her," the corporal said, the softest of smiles on his lips.

"I had to," Felix replied.

"And now you're in the dog house."

"Yep," the handyman hung his head, tears threatening to surface. He feared things were much worse than that.

"Well, can't say we didn't warn you," the nearby soldiers chuckled. "C'mon, lil' man, she'll come back around. I'm sure you know by now that T.J. just needs a good day or two to cool off. You two are gonna be just fine."

"Thanks Kohut," Felix managed a smile. "And I'm sorry I got y'all stuck with…all this," he gestured to the floor. "…Got an extra sponge laying around?"


	11. You Fixed It

**Part 11**

* * *

What kept Fix-It Felix marginally awake after nearly two hours of scrubbing and waxing the floors with the soldiers of 'Hero's Duty' was his sheer determination, and the persistent ache in his arms.

"Hey," Kohut tapped the handyman on the shoulder, catching him nodding off. "You've done your part, why don't you go home?"

"No, I gotta help y'all finish," Felix blurred his words together. "S'not fair for you, this is all my fault."

"It's really not," the corporal corrected. "But if you insist—"

The hallway was filled with a bright red light, and a piercing alarm rang throughout the facility.

"We've got an outbreak!" Kohut picked himself up from the floor and shouted orders. "Armor up and get into positions!"

It was instant chaos. Drowsiness now replaced with adrenaline, Felix ducked and dodged, trying not to get trampled by the soldiers as they ran about the ship to prepare to face the Cybug swarm.

"Fix-It!" the corporal called. "Run for the train station, the blast door will be sealing the exit any second!"

The handyman did as he was ordered, turning on his heels and running for the station. As he ran down the corridor, he jumped over and weaved through the frantic soldiers, the end goal just within sight beyond the blast resistant door, still sliding downwards to a close. Felix was confident he could make it if he slid under, but as he was about to make the leap, a soldier burst out of a nearby doorway and barreled right into him.

"Sorry!" Markowski shouted before running to meet up with his squadron.

Coming back to his senses, Felix pushed himself onto his elbows and watched as the door locked into position. He sighed and tapped the floor in frustration; today was just _dandy_.

Not knowing what else to do, the handyman made his way to the hangar, where the soldiers lined up to await their sergeant's orders. He came to a stop next to Kohut, who looked down and did a double take. Felix shrugged, and before the corporal could say anything, Tamora stepped into the room.

"Alright, ladies, listen up!" she shouted over the sirens. "It looks like we've got ourselves a full-blown Cybug outbreak on our hands, and the beacon failed to trip automatically."

The soldiers in the hangar looked to each other with shock. The beacon had never failed them before.

"Sounds like it could be an electrical problem," Everyone's gaze congregated on Felix, and the little handyman shrunk in response.

Tamora was stunned only for a moment, and then her gaze became hard and piercing as she marched over to him, her voice dripping with venom. " _Why are you still here?_ "

"Serving out my punishment?" Felix gulped, recoiling from her deadly stare.

"No!" Tamora yelled, throwing her helmet to the floor. " _Your_ punishment was to go home!" she grabbed the handyman by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close. "And now you're _stuck_ here until this game is cleared down!"

"Tammy, I know that you're scared," Felix spoke carefully. "And that you are _beyond_ furious with me..."

The sergeant scoffed, but dropped the handyman to his feet to hear him out

"But without that beacon, the _entire arcade_ is in danger; let me fix it."

"And allow you to go out in that certifiable hellscape?" Tamora stuck a thumb to the hangar door. "Not a chance!"

"What other option is there?"

Tamora shook her head, a deep frown on her features. Fix-It wasn't ready for this level of action, but she knew just as well as he did that his magic hammer was the best chance 'Hero's Duty,' and ultimately, the arcade had at turning this nightmare around. She called her men back to attention.

"You know the drill; keep those bugs contained and away from the blast door. If they break through, this arcade is going down!" Tamora bellowed. "Kohut, Mac, and Marco, ready your cruisers. We're headed to the top of the tower."

The sergeant punched the button to open the hangar doors and they slid open with a mechanical whirr. Felix took a few steps back as the marines ran out and into the Cybug horde.

"Jiminy jaminy…" he muttered under his breath, in awe of the scene that opened up before him. Thousands upon thousands of Cybugs flew in multiple swarms as they contested with the soldiers on the ground.

"Kohut, my cruiser!" Tamora reached out her hand, and Felix ducked as the corporal tossed the sergeant her craft. The handyman deflated, unsure if he had convinced his lady that his presence was needed.

"And _you_ ," Tamora removed a pistol from her holster and tossed it Felix's way. Wide eyed, he caught it, anticipating her next words. Tammy snapped her fingers and pointed to the back of her cruiser. "Get on."

* * *

Felix's little 8-bit heart throbbed in his chest as Tamora and her right hand men threaded themselves through the Cybug swarm, ascending into the air on their cruisers. He held onto his pistol and his lady's leg for dear life as bug after bug whizzed by. Turning his head to look behind them, he gasped as he realized a handful of bugs chasing their tail.

"Bugs on our six!" Felix shouted.

"You've got a gun, don't you? Make yourself useful!" Tamora retorted, preoccupied with shooting Cybugs coming onto them from up front.

Embarrassed, Felix uncurled this right arm from the sergeant's leg, aiming at the closest bug to them. He took the shot, and missed; it was much harder to adjust with both him and his targets on the move. After a few more frantic shots, one bullet finally landed, piercing the bug's armor and causing it to disintegrate.

The handyman took a moment to revel in his accomplishment, and with some wind in his sails, he took aim at the next bug, shooting it in the mouth, and the next bug, clipping its wings. Once he cleared the tails, Felix faced forward and helped cover Tamora as she moved through a swarm. She took notice, and looked down at him, a hint of pride on her features.

A scream echoed out, and the couple looked to their left just in time to witness Mac getting flung off his cruiser as a stray bug collided with his body. The soldier continued to shout as he and the bug fell together to the ground far below.

"Oh my land…" Felix covered his mouth, utterly horrified. Even knowing that Mac would respawn, watching someone die in such a fashion was still deeply disturbing.

"Eyes up front, Fix-It!" Tamora commanded; freezing up was not an option.

Steeling himself, Felix gripped Tammy's leg, helping once again to take down Cybugs that stood between them and the top of the tower.

"T.J.!" Kohut bellowed, flying up beside them. "Things are real bad on ground level. Men are dying faster than they can respawn!"

"We're nearly there," Tamora shouted back. "They've got to hold on for just a little longer! Go down there and whip them into shape."

"Yes ma'am!" Kohut saluted them both and turned around.

"Marco, you're on point!" Tamora barked, and the soldier flying on their right nodded, pulling up in front as they neared their destination.

Reaching the top, the three of them hovered above the platform jutting out from the pointed top of the building, raining fire on the bugs that perched there. Once cleared, they landed their crafts and ran into the opening leading into the very top floor.

Marco opened fire on some Cybugs and their eggs that remained inside from the outbreak, keeping them at bay while Tamora and Felix ascended stairs to the decking that housed the beacon.

"I'll hold off any oncoming bugs," Tamora readied her blaster. "There's a panel on the floor that gives you access to the circuitry and wiring."

"I can fix it!" Felix whipped his golden hammer from its holster and bounced to the center of the room. When he approached the aforementioned panel, he already knew the situation was far worse than he anticipated.

Lines of soot jutted outwards from the edges of the panel, and when he lifted it, smoke came billowing out. Fix-it coughed and wafted the smoke away. "Well there's your problem!" he shouted.

Calhoun glanced over, but didn't bother to reply; far too busy shooting Cybugs that crawled their way up the stairs from the floor below.

Once Felix cleared out the smoke, he could clearly see what he had to work with, and was just utterly dumbfounded by the tangle of wires and mismatched circuitry. It was a miracle the beacon had operated at all.

"Who on Earth built this?" the handyman spoke rhetorically.

"Brad!" Tamora shouted back, and Felix shut his mouth, kicking himself inwardly. _Of course_.

Felix carefully examined the panel, avoiding the mangled live wires that popped sporadically, and then looked about the room, opening a panel on the wall opposite from Tamora.

"What are you doing?" the sergeant yelled, slowly getting overwhelmed by the mechanical beasts that ascended into the room.

"Where is the emergency shut off?" he asked.

Tamora's face went blank and Felix buried his face in his hands, exasperated. He had a _lot_ of fixing to do, but little no time to do so. How could this situation get any worse?

"Marco!" Calhoun yelled past the Cybugs and down the stairs. "Do you see an emergency shut off switch from your angle? Marco?" Blasting some more Cybugs out of the way, the sergeant peered downstairs. "Marco is down, Fix-It, it's just you and me up here!"

"Wonderful!" The handyman squeaked, starting to panic. Returning to the wiring in the floor, Felix assessed his options. A scream from Tamora shook him out of his train of thought. "Tammy!"

The sergeant lay on the ground, her gun the only thing preventing the Cybug on top of her from ripping her apart. She pushed back as hard as she could, but couldn't get the damned machine off of her.

Two shots rang out, and the bug fell aside before disintegrating. Felix was beside Tamora in an instant, pulling her away from the next oncoming Cybug and shooting its eyes.

"Get back to the beacon, that's your priority!" Tamora pushed the 8-bit away, picking herself up. "The entire arcade will be a bug buffet if you don't find a way to fix it!"

There was only one thing the fixer could do, and he was afraid of what might happen next. But if he didn't take the risk, there would be no chance at saving Tamora's game and the arcade. Gripping his trusted hammer in his hand, he took a deep breath.

"Say a little prayer for me then," he called out, running to the beacon.

"Wait, why? Fix-It!" Tamora reached out to stop him, but another bug tackled her to the ground.

Reaching the panel of live wires, Felix only hesitated a moment before swinging his hammer down onto them.

"No!" Tamora screamed, and winced as a loud crack, and a bright light filled the room.

With a burst of electricity, Felix yelped and flew backwards some ways, sliding on the floor. Everything went black, but he could faintly hear Tamora calling him, her distant shouting getting closer each time she said his name.

"Felix!"

"Tammy?" he mumbled, opening his eyes, nearly blinded by the light that surrounded them. "Wow, it sure is bright. Is this heaven?"

"No, you idiot, its the beacon," Tamora laughed softly, unable to contain her relief. "You fixed it."

"Oh good," Felix sighed. "I didn't know if that would actually work."

"How are you feeling?"

"I mean…pretty good, considering I've just been electrocuted," the handyman smiled.

"You scared me half to death," Tamora sighed, resigning to rest on the floor, her head next to his as she laid the opposite direction.

Felix turned to face her and grinned sleepily as he reached up and played with her hair, ignoring the stinging in his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said after a few moments of silence.

"I know," Tamora replied.

"I wanted to fit in here so much, I guess I—"

"Started to fit in a little too well?"

The handyman chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose…I love you Tammy Jean."

"Love you too, Fix-It."

"I want to marry you someday…" Tamora was surprised by his words. "I really do. I know you might not be ready for that now, but its something that's been on my mind for a long time."

All Tammy could do in that moment was smile.

"I understand you might not be ready," Felix repeated, rambling on in his stupefied state. "But you just let me know, okay?"

"Okay," Tamora chuckled. "Yes."

"Pardon?" Felix shifted, his hand going still.

"You basically just asked me to marry you, and I'm saying yes." She allowed some time for the handyman's brain to compute. His face dawned with realization, his expression priceless.

"Really?" Felix beamed, his eyes glossed over with happy tears, the back of his hand now grazing her cheek.

"Really," Tamora smiled back. "I can't let my fears control me anymore. I'm ready." Placing a hand on the back of Felix's head, she pulled him forward for a sloppy upside down kiss.

"T.J.?" Kohut came bursting up the stairs and the couple stopped, arching their necks to look at him. "Here I thought something went horribly wrong, only to find out y'all are just making out." A few more soldiers peeked their heads curiously over the edge of the stairway.

"Alright, move out! nothing to see here," Tamora ordered, sitting up. "Get back to the hangar for debriefing."

* * *

As Felix and Calhoun stepped hand-in-hand into the hangar, they were met with raucous applause from the marines, congratulating them on a successful mission and a job well done.

"Fix-It," Tamora knelt down to be eye level with her fiancé. "About what I said earlier about you not belonging here…I was wrong. And you proved that with your actions today. Which is why—" the sergeant reached behind her and produced the Medal of Heroes. "—I'm inducting you as an honorary member of the 'Hero's Duty' corps."

The handyman was awestruck as she placed the medal around his neck, the soldiers surrounding them giving another round of applause. Felix sprung up on his tippy toes and wrapped his arms around Tamora, pausing to kiss her on the lips when he pulled away.

After a while, the couple managed to slip away from the celebrations. Having quite enough of 'Hero's Duty' for one day, Felix led his lady to his game. The two of them walked along the dewy lawn of the Niceland apartments to the clearing Felix had come to know as the best spot in the entire arcade to come and relax with his friends.

As he expected, when they came upon the clearing, Ralph and Vanellope were there, and they turned to look at the couple as they approached.

"Sarge! Hammer-time!" Vanellope spoke excitedly.

"Hey guys!" Ralph waved with a smile, but a look of concern crossed his face when he saw tattered and tired his friends were. "Woah…what happened to you two?

Felix chuckled, taking his lady's hand in his as she smiled down to him.

"We got engaged," they said.


End file.
